Solovyov in Tsarist Russia 1796.

Even so, it can still be considered a victory for the blockheaded shogunate.

In the past, few people could gain any benefit from them, and trade was only possible in Nagasaki.

The victory lay in getting the trading post ashore, not in imprisoning it on a small artificial island.

After Tokugawa Ienari issued the disciplinary order, the shogunate arranged for several thousand hatamoto (military commanders) to demonstrate their military strength in a grand display. They also invited Akira and Solovyov to conduct a military exercise at Odawara Castle, which was also intended to showcase their military might.

"General Suo, is it permissible to go?"

"Of course I can go, Your Highness, just watch my actions."

Solovyov was clearly up to something; he composed a song for the Imperial Guard and grenadiers, which he naturally intended to send to the Shogunate as well.

As for other things, we'll see if the shogunate can handle the implications then.

They can even bring out warship marching music.

Solovyov didn't order the armed forces to come ashore at the shogunate site; he only asked the military band to come.

At that time, the shogunate will have to arrange their food and lodging.

Compared to the supplies provided by Emperor Jiaqing, the supplies provided by the Shogunate were much worse, but there was still plenty of freshly caught seafood.

Then, the military band also headed to the Odawara Castle area. After disembarking there, the shogunate personnel all saw what a huge ship it was. Even these samurai, who usually had to train for self-discipline, couldn't resist the temptation to come and see this giant ship.

"Looks pretty good. How was your practice?"

"No problem, sir. We think the music is quite good, it's just a bit unsuitable for these bowlegs."

"Don't underestimate them. These guys may look like that, but when it comes to fighting, they are extremely ferocious in close combat, the kind that will fight to the death."

Even some members of the military band don't understand this.

"Alright, you all need to get ready now. When the warships enter the port, the warship march will be played."

As for the hatamoto on the shogunate's side, they were all lined up when they saw the giant ship dock, followed by a loud melody.

"This piece is quite good; it sounds a bit like ours."

If they weren't the shogunate army, they would have used flutes to summon the prince to his horse.

Now, there's the strip vibration melody and the warship march, which are pretty good.

Solovyov brought the admiral ashore with him when he landed.

Bellingshausen found the sight of these small boats belonging to the shogunate comical.

Although the Qing Dynasty's navy was weak, it still consisted of Chinese-style sailing ships, and it wasn't like they didn't have large ships capable of long-distance voyages.

Although it was far less impressive than Zheng He's voyages during the Ming Dynasty, it still allowed for long-distance travel.

These small Japanese boats are clearly not up to par.

How did those Japanese Catholics get to the Vatican more than two hundred years ago?

Although I have such questions, there are some things that are forbidden in Japan and cannot be asked.

The shogunate not only isolated the country, but they also engaged in religious persecution, specifically targeting and killing Christians.

Solovyov explained that Russia belonged to the Eastern Church and had a history of conflict with the Western Church. As for the details...

As an amateur history enthusiast, he was naturally able to explain things clearly.

Upon hearing this explanation, the shogunate realized that these were two separate branches. Furthermore, Solovyov stated that while the Orthodox Church had a church in the Qing capital, its missionary work was essentially nonexistent, and the last religious event was named after his third son's baptism, which prompted the event to take place.

Otherwise, even the Qing emperors would have forgotten that Russia had a church here.

Since they weren't very missionary, the shogunate simply stopped interfering.

Solovyov even went so far as to explain the situation to the Dutch and his fellow Lutheran relatives.

The reason why the British were not given an explanation is that Henry VIII, who was unfaithful to his wife in order to have a son, and even killed his wife to preach, meant that his Church of England was just a different version of the same thing.

But Solovyov still gave the Puritans who went to the New World a chance to explain.

Tokugawa Ienari was so overwhelmed by this that he actually issued a regulation stating that the Jingjiao Church would not be hindered in this regard.

The reason is that although the Assyrian church had spread eastward, and the Japanese envoys to Tang China probably knew that there was such a group of believers in Jesus, they could not find many people with this faith throughout East Asia.

The Kereit Khan, who used to believe in this, had a hundred-person band. Many of his descendants migrated to the Kazakh steppe. Now, even the Russians haven't been able to figure out what they believe in. The Qing Dynasty was also baffled when they saw it.

Therefore, even though this was not prohibited, the shogunate pretended not to see it.

Solovyov also felt that the shogunate was indeed a bit paranoid in this regard, and that missionaries were actually quite useful, as they could also find people to help them find advisors and scholars.

But the Japanese weren't fools. They left the Dutch behind for this very purpose: to maintain contact with foreign countries through their only port.

Of course, the Netherlands and Russia were related, and the Russians had a group of relatives on board. With the backing of a prince from the Qing Dynasty, it was natural that they could open an office outside of Hirado.

But the Dutch will only come to explain this matter once every few years.

As for Russia, Solovyov himself was a plenipotentiary envoy, and he also had decision-making power. He could even direct the Russian-American Company to send someone to set up an office. The Governor-General of Siberia was also his brother-in-law, so his power was actually quite great, at least in terms of coordination and mobilization. At one point, the Shogunate thought he was just bragging.

But he really can do it.

After the music ended, Solovyov only brought his band with him.

When the shogunate was conducting military exercises, he also asked the shogunate to find him a small boat.

The main purpose was to clear out inventory, practice target shooting, and also to show the shogunate what large warships and giant cannons were.

As for the Imperial Guard and the like, they were all left on the ship.

The shogunate initially disagreed, but Solovyov only allowed the Mercury Memorial to appear, without letting the fearsome battleship fire its cannons in front of the shogunate's hatamoto. In fact, the cannons were kept closed, making it appear as a giant transport ship.

But some of the hatamoto, who came from the forts in Edo, said that this green-eyed devil from Japan looked like a woman and was really cunning.

Who would believe that such a large ship doesn't have cannons on it?
However, the shogunate chose to bury its head in the sand at this point.

After the samurai lined up, Doi Toshihisa also inquired about this killing formation.

"What do you think of this formation?"

"I've long heard that Japanese samurai are loyal, skilled in battle, and fearless in the face of death, adept at close combat. Seeing this today, I can confirm it's true. If they could be equipped with modern arquebuses, they would be excellent leaping soldiers."

This assessment, in a way, gives the shogunate a slight advantage. Their ultimate defeat was also due to the shogunate army's lack of fighting spirit. The current shogunate is not yet in decline and still holds considerable sway over the various domains.

Even the Shimazu chieftain in Edo received the punishment from the shogunate on behalf of the Satsuma Domain and was sent to Kagoshima.

As for the term "leap soldiers," it refers to the French leap soldiers, who were indeed this height and had previously been brutally beaten by Russian grenadiers with rifle butts.

However, the Japanese prefer to use knives in close combat and are diligent in practicing swordsmanship, making them a troublesome opponent in close combat.

At this time, the strongest hand-to-hand combatants in East Asia were these Japanese.

On the contrary, the Qing army was rather peculiar; they generally performed well in the ranged combat phase, but they would falter in close combat.

This is undoubtedly due to the unique matching mechanism in the East Asian region at this time.

Perhaps if they had re-equipped the Qing army with new weapons and placed Japanese samurai in front as human shields, their combat effectiveness would have doubled.

"But what exactly is a 'Leaping Soldier'?"

Doi Toshihisa was a senior official in charge of domestic affairs. The shogunate had not mobilized troops on a large scale for a long time, and its defense against Russia was in vain. Russia was just surveying the waters and wanted to do some business in Hakodate.

Even now, with the opportunity to exclusively trade in the Hawaiian Islands, Russia hasn't been in a hurry to act.

As a result, the captain of an American merchant ship told King Kamehameha, causing the Russian fortress to be built in vain, and many of the cannons on it ended up benefiting the Kingdom of Hawaii.

That's right, right now, if the Kingdom of Hawaii could get a Russian fortress for free, its equipment would be even more advanced than that of the Qing Dynasty.

"The leaping soldiers are those who wield iron cannons and harass the enemy formation from the front lines."

"I see."

Giving him a civil official's explanation is actually a very difficult task.

However, Solovyov, being a typical example of a capable and renowned general, still tried to give Doi Toshihisa a simple explanation, such as harassing the enemy front, sniping enemy cavalry, covering the advance of the rear ranks, and scouting and sentry duty at the front.

Then the Japanese would imagine sniping enemy officers, something Nobunaga had already done.

Solovyov himself was also a victim, but he was lucky that time and only suffered minor injuries.

Doi Toshihisa was an honest man, and he quickly wrote it down with a brush next to him.

Once the military drills and formations are complete, we will now pass in front of the main camp where the Shogunate's senior councilors and the various feudal lords are located.

The biggest difference compared to the past is that there are now Russians playing tunes here to add to the festivities.

Even Tokugawa Ienari, who was sitting above, found it very amazing that the music was actually in sync with his own samurai as they marched past the main camp.

As for who composed this piece?
He never expected that it was actually the envoy from the Kingdom of Lu who composed the music.

Then he sent someone to inquire.

I only found out then that he often collaborated with the third sister of the Russian emperor on composing music, so he was naturally an amateur musician as well.

That's impressive; they've definitely got some skill.

As for some things, we can't know them, such as the relationship between Maria and Solovyov, which Maria kept secret even from her sisters.

Moreover, it's not just about drawing a sword in front; there's also the act of moving forward, and there are other tunes played on the flute as well.

If you listen carefully, it seems that using Japanese lyrics wouldn't be unacceptable.

So Tokugawa Ienari summoned Solovyov again, and Solovyov said that there was nothing wrong with these pieces, and if anything, they could be considered as marches for the shogunate army.

As for training troops, they should shout more often. Warriors should obey their superiors, but they should not act recklessly without thinking.

The shogunate also agreed with what he said.

Doesn't it sound like they're two different species from the future nuclear-recruiting madman?

That's because the people in the shogunate were still somewhat intelligent in their work; although there were mechanical aspects to their actions, they weren't crazy enough.

In fact, if the Edo Shogunate had continued to rule, as long as the common people could have enough to eat, the regime could have maintained its existence in a state of semi-death for a long time.

If it were more open-minded, it would be much better than whatever came after that.

Those who did propaganda for the government troops earlier could be beheaded by the Meiji government later.

Ordinary people still can't afford to eat the rice they grow themselves, so entire villages sell their girls to earn money, otherwise they can't survive.

Many of the reformers were later purged, and the great heroes were forced into rebellion and ultimately died on the battlefield.

After half a year, it was found that the shogunate and the Meiji government were not fundamentally different in some aspects.

Because twenty years later, if there is no intervention, there will be an uprising in Osaka by Ōshio Heihachirō, making the rebellion in the Saga Domain relatively delayed.

Moreover, the Japanese were still at their least susceptible to being taken advantage of at this time, and they were still able to resist.

The Japanese people of the future were spiritually emasculated on some level, I don't know.

In modern times, they all seem rather useless; the Yakuza has become an old people's club.

Given this situation, it seems better for the shogunate to take charge. These petty thieves like the agricultural cooperatives could probably be dealt with simply by beheading them, or even by having the Shinsengumi launch a surprise attack. Is there really any need for a price war?
Solovyov's idea was exactly that.

Although the Shogun was conservative and somewhat ignorant, he was at least willing to listen to advice, or at least pretended to understand it, so his attitude was acceptable.

If it were a Meiji government, considering that Solovyov couldn't possibly have lived until 1905, he would be like an old monster still needing micromanagement.

These kinds of things need to be planned in advance.

If the Edo Shogunate had continued to rule Japan, there would have been no talk of going out to conquer.

Even if Confucian scholars studied Western learning extensively, the shogunate would still prohibit them from upgrading their weapons.

This kind of thing was actually done when Matsudaira Sadanobu, who was relatively enlightened and knew how to do diplomacy, was serving as the chief senior councilor.

Solovyov couldn't understand this, but Matsudaira Sadanobu said it was the law of the shogunate.

He had no choice but to accept it; the Japanese way of thinking is just different from other places.

Solovyov even thought that if there were another Muravyov in the future, he should either send him to Roseburg in North America or to Hokkaido, so that he could still contribute and not cause trouble for the Qing Dynasty.

When the Qing Dynasty collapsed, China would still have plenty of land left, and Russia wouldn't have to stare helplessly at the slow-developing, bottomless pit of the Far East. They could also make money by mining natural gas and oil in Siberia.

That's my idea. (End of Chapter)